Locals continue quest for CCCAA titles

It’s been a solid season for the area’s junior college basketball programs, and Wednesday they get to add to their success when they play California Community College Athletic Association regional semifinal games.

On the women’s side, No. 2 seed Mt. San Antonio College, gunning for a third consecutive state title, hosts No. 7 San Bernardino Valley, with No. 4 Pasadena City at home vs. No. 5 Long Beach City.

On the men’s side, No. 11 Citrus is at No. 3 Mt. San Jacinto, with No. 12 PCC at No. 4 Chaffey.

All games are scheduled for 7 p.m., with the winners advancing to Saturday’s regional finals. The CCCAA Final Four is scheduled for next weekend at Cerritos College.

San Bernardino (19-6), which advanced with a win over Saddleback (65-54) is a familiar foe for the Mounties (26-4), who beat Cypress (81-62) in the first round. Mt. SAC scored a 62-40 victory over the Wolverines in the Mt. SAC Tip-off Classic in November.

The Mounties are led by Sabrina Norton, who is averaging 10.7 points per game.

The PCC women’s team (22-7) is also familiar with Long Beach (25-4), which it beat twice during the regular season, both in overtime. The Lancers are led by Desiree Loving, who averages 12.7 points a game.

The Citrus (16-8) and the PCC men’s team (21-9) are looking to score their second consecutive upsets after taking down No. 6 East Los Angeles (86-81, 2OT) and No. 5 Saddleback (53-49), respectively, in the second round.

The Owls, led by former Damien High School star Chris Reyes (19 ppg), lost to the Eagles, 84-83, in November.

The Lancers are led by Taj Spencer, who is averaging 17.8 points a game.

APU hires DC

Azusa Pacific University football coach Victor Santa Cruz announced this week that he’s hired Cesar Rivas-Sandoval as the Cougars’ new defensive coordinator. He replaces Brian Willmer, who left to become the head coach at MidAmerica Nazarene University in Olathe, Kan.

Rivas-Sandoval was head coach at Ft. Lewis (Colo.) College before coaching linebackers at the University of Sioux Falls (S.D.) last season. He is a native of San Diego.